


Stars Attract

by he_who_is_free_is_never_alone



Category: Haikyuu!!, haik
Genre: Dorms, F/M, Fluff, Pining Ushijima Wakatoshi, Roommates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wingman Tendou Satori, Yes semisemi is dating, dont steal my shit, more tags later??, three ocs dont @ me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:00:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28398873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/he_who_is_free_is_never_alone/pseuds/he_who_is_free_is_never_alone
Summary: “You’re killing me, Eiko,” Arisu said as she was being pulled aggressively towards the gym where the Shiratorizawa Boys Volleyball Club held their after school practice.“I want to see Semi practice and I don’t want to go alone,” Eiko said pleadingly, looking far more similar to a toddler than a third year high-school student.“Yeah, you want to do that and try to set me up with someone on the team,” Arisu snarkily responded.“Shut up. It would be good for you. Come on! Wouldn’t it be so nice to have someone like-?!”Arisu interrupted, “I get it Eiko! Let’s just go.”
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

“You’re killing me, Eiko,” Arisu said as she was being pulled aggressively towards the gym where the Shiratorizawa Boys Volleyball Club held their after school practice. 

“I want to see Semi practice and I don’t want to go alone,” Eiko said pleadingly, looking far more similar to a toddler than a third year high-school student. 

“Yeah, you want to do that and try to set me up with someone on the team,” Arisu snarkily responded.

“Shut up. It would be good for you. Come on! Wouldn’t it be so nice to have someone like-?!”

Arisu interrupted, “I get it Eiko! Let’s just go.”

While Eiko jumped in excitement, continuing to lead the way, Arisu felt her resentment rise. She didn’t need a boyfriend, that’s not why she came to such a prestigious high-school. She just wanted to go to her dorm and study until the exhaustion took over like she usually did on a Thursday night. However, her enthusiastic friend had kidnapped her to visit her own boyfriend. Semi was fine and all, actually, he was a great boyfriend to Eiko and fun to hang out with, but Arisu couldn’t help herself from being annoyed whenever they showed any type of affection towards one another in front of her. She knew that she was jealous and she knew that she was hypocritical about it. So she kept her opinions to herself.

Arisu was rife with jealousy for Eiko. The girl has everything that Arisu strived for. She was beautiful, outgoing, smart, and bubbly. In Arisu’s opinion, her best friend was the pinnacle of ‘girlfriend material’. The amount of times that guys had approached Arisu only to be seeking an ‘in’ with Eiko was far too great. It began during their first year and had planted the seeds of doubt. Arisu remembered not caring how she looked in middle-school; it was a perfectly blissful time. Her second year was a dark one because she could barely look at herself in the mirror without hearing all of those guys asking her how to win Eiko’s heart. 

It was stupid. The whole situation was stupid. Arisu had to throw up walls to deal with it, becoming vicious in her turning away of Eiko's potential suitors. As a result, she remained nearly friendless and nearly alone as news of her coldheartedness spread throughout their class. She had stopped caring-at least that's what she told herself- long ago now. 

“What’s with your face?” Eiko asked, puzzled.

“What? This is my face, Eiko.”

“You have some serious RBF,” Eiko chuckled as they neared the double doors to the gymnasium, “Today is just a captain’s practice, so their nasty coach won’t be able to stop us.”

“Great. At least now we won’t get into trouble,” Arisu rolled her eyes. 

“Oh shut up, Arisu, you’ll be fine! Live a little, would ya?”

“How come you need to drag me into these situations for the sake of ‘living’ all the time,” Arisu said, but Eiko had spotted Semi and jogged over as Arisu was speaking, leaving her to stew in annoyance. 

“Arisu! What are you doing over there by the door, come join me!” Eiko said, her usual cheery smile on her face. She always smiled twice as much when she was around Semi. It would have been cute, if it didn’t just aggravate Arisu further. 

Instead of fighting it, Arisu sighed and headed over to where the couple stood by two other tall players. 

“This is Ushijima Wakatoshi and Tendou Satori,” Eiko introduced, tucking herself into Semi’s side habitually. 

“I am familiar with both Tendou and Ushijima’s work,” she nodded, which they returned. 

“Hello again, frigid-chan,” Tendou smirked devilishly. Arisu let out an involuntary chuckle. She hated to encourage any of his antics, but he was damn funny. 

“Arisu,” Ushijima greeted as he had those many days she sat to his left to work on chem labs. 

The group continued to chatter, except for Ushijima of course, and Arisu decided to remain silent as well. She didn’t notice Ushijima side eyeing her the whole time. The captain and middle-blocker returned to help clean up the gym after practice, but Semi remained to speak to Eiko. 

“Who do you think would be a good match for Arisu?” Eiko smiled widely, eyes flickering over to the girl who stiffened.

“Well Ushijima seemed to be looking at her and he hardly looks at anyone, much less a girl,” Semi responded. 

Arisu tensed once more, her face flushing. There was no way that a golden boy prodigy would be interested in her. He was simply too far out of her league. But that did not mean that Arisu hadn’t dreamt of it. 

Arisu laughed heartily, “That’s a good one!”

Semi looked put off by her laughter and Eiko threw her a confused glance.

“Why is that funny? Don’t laugh at Ushijima, that’s very mean,” Eiko huffed angrily.

“No! I’m not laughing at Ushijima, he is both handsome and talented, but-”

“So you do like him!” Eiko said, clapping her hands together with a smile. She was practically glowing. Anything she didn’t want to hear went in one ear and out the other. 

“I’m not close with him per say, but of course he’s nice to look at,” Arisu said, flushing red. The truth was, Arisu has had a crush on Ushijima since their second year, and was never fully able to cast it off, as embarrassing as it was. 

“Awe, you’re embarrassed! Look at her babe,” Eiko leaned against his side and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders with a chuckle. 

“I see,” Semi responded with a smirk. 

“I did not come here to be attacked and outnumbered.”

“Hey! Ushijima!” Semi called.

“What!? No I-I don’t-!” Arisu cried as the captain walked over, looking every bit the leader he was. A terrified admiration shone in Arisu’s eyes. 

“Yes, Semi?”

“Arisu here would like some practice with her serving, do you think you could help?”

“Oh please, Semi, I’m sure the captain has far better things-!”

“Sure,” he said in his ever even tone, looking at her and not at the setter. “please call me Wakatoshi.”

“Uh, sure.”

Without another word, he turned and his presence demanded that she follow without complaint. 

Everything that Arisu had heard about Ushijima had proved true when she first laid eyes on him in chemistry second year. He was tall, wide, strong, and easy on the eyes. It was also a well known fact that he was incredibly straightforward to a fault. He had been described as cold even. As soon as Arisu had seen Tendou and Ushijima interact, she knew the captain was not cold. He simply struggled to express his emotions in the capacity that most did, but he so clearly cared about his friend. Especially the day that Tendou showed up to class just before the bell, throwing himself into his seat, and laying his head down. Arisu remembered relating heavily to such a display, whereas the rest of the class fixed the red head with disapproving faces. Ushijima immediately handed the middle-blocker some candy from his bag and Arisu was certain the captain kept those in there for no other reason than to cheer Tendou up. He had far too much control for things like sweets to remain constantly in his bag as though they were a guilty pleasure. She often caught them exchanging issues of Shonen Jump as well, something that she was pretty sure Ushijima read to understand Tendou better and not for his own enjoyment. She was simply convinced that the man had layers of true caring and understanding that most did not get to see. 

That, and she had been a first hand recipient of his silent and steadfast kindness. She hadn’t been having a good day. Five minutes before class, a third year from the tennis team sought Arisu out to beg her for help in achieving Eiko’s affections. He was quite pushy in a desperate sort of way and if it hadn’t been for the warning bell, she was sure she would have had to deck the man. She entered chemistry with a frown etched so deep into her features; she hadn’t even realized it was there. After the short class break they had, Ushijima returned with Tendou and silently placed a strawberry milk on her desk. She looked to the guy, surprised beyond words. She had often bought strawberry milk during her breaks and was shocked he had not only noticed, but brought her some in her distress. 

“So that’s who you got the milk for,” Tendou egged, eyebrows waggling. 

The following day, Ushijima followed the milk up with a single question, “Has that third year left you alone?”

Arisu could not recall what she said in response, only that she stuttered something out and neither Ushijima nor Tendou had laughed at her for it. It was nice to have someone other than Eiko worrying about her wellbeing. Thus, from that day on, Arisu had chatted occasionally with the two whenever she saw them and sat near them in any classes they shared, silently trying to worm her way into their friendship. Since Eiko was smart and in college preparatory classes, Arisu hadn't had anyone else before those two. 

By that time, pretty much every player had left the large gym. But Ushijima seemed unconcerned as per usual. She wondered if he had ever worried about something. He just had so much chill she could barely comprehend it. 

“Um, Wakatoshi, you know I don’t play, right?” Arisu said sheepishly from behind the man. He stopped abruptly and she was sure she would get a glare for wasting his time, but, instead, he looked across the gym to where the couple sat on the bench, enamoured with one another. The sneaky bastard was making sure they weren’t paying attention. 

“I know that,” he looked down to meet her eyes, “I know you.”

She shrunk a little and flushed, he seemed to be slightly confused as to why she thought he didn’t know her, as if they’d been friends since childhood. He continued on, going through a door and then through another one, into the boy’s locker room. 

“I-I can’t be in here,” she whispered from the door, mortified. He continued walking and once more, she felt as though she had to follow, “Ushijima!” 

“It’s fine,” he silenced her whispered doubt instantly. 

If there had been anyone in the locker room, Arisu did not know. She stared straight ahead into his broad back, her face a steady shade of rose, hoping her presence would be overshadowed by Ushijima’s own enormous one. He stopped at a locker and they were on their way once more. When they exited they were outside of the gym, at a door that was always locked from the outside, a sort of secret exit. Arisu was confused, why had he taken her here?

“I knew Semi and Eiko were bothering you, so I thought I would walk you to your dorm,” he seemed to have sensed her confusion. 

She looked up to his face once more and either she was crazy or Ushijima’s ear tips were actually a little red. Arisu refused to let the implications of the latter enter her train of thought. 

“You snuck me out?” she asked, still in utter disbelief. He nodded solemnly, his cheeks now looking a shade rosier than they had been. 

“As I said, you looked uncomfortable.”

“I-I was. I-thank you,” she said genuinely and blinked at him before the spell was broken and she shook herself a little, “My building is this way.”

This time, he was the one to follow her wordlessly and without doubt. But he walked at her side, not behind her. It was a five minute walk to her dorm and while she would usually spend it in complete and utter awkward silence, she actually felt comfortable. Once again, she refused to process what such a feeling meant in that moment. 

“So, how did you get into volleyball?” Arisu found herself asking, the comfort of the situation coaxing her to speak.

“My father used to play with me when I was young. He was my first teacher.”

He sounded a little reminiscent and it softened Arisu’s nerves. What everyone seemed to forget was that he was a human, after all, with memories and emotions, not just a volleyball machine and sex symbol to the girls of the school. She wondered how many people had actually tried to get to know him closely, besides Tendou of course. 

“I bet he is very proud of you. You work hard,” Arisu said lightly, as though she were trying not to scare him away. He appeared to preen slightly at her mention of his working hard to get where he was and not just attributing it all to talent. 

“He is, though my mother is even more.”

She couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her, light and airy. With those two sentences she caught such a vivid but small glimpse into his past and family life. She was grateful he decided to share with her. So, when they reached the door to her dorm building, she was disappointed that their conversation could not continue. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Wakatoshi,” she smiled at him. 

A familiar pink tint appears on his ears, “Goodnight, Arisu.”

She desperately wanted to know more. 

The next morning, Arisu ate her breakfast, got dressed, and walked to class with vigor. She couldn’t help but look forward to the two classes she shared with Ushijima and the three with Tendou. She couldn’t remember a time when she was actually excited to go to class. She had even decided to leave her hair down. Not that that had anything to do with Ushijima, of course. 

Arisu knew she shouldn’t be getting her hopes up, but it was so nice to have new potential friends that she could not hold her excitement back. She sat at her desk trying to remember what she normally acted like so no one could tell how she was practically buzzing. Her confidence was boosted by a single conversation. If she hadn’t been so happy she would have groaned at such an admission. 

“Gooood morning, Frigid-chan,” Tendou slumped into the seat in front of her as he usually did in the morning. 

“Fire-kun,” Arisu nodded solemnly. 

Tendou laughed, “So we are opposites then?” 

“It appears to be that way, yes,” Arisu couldn’t help but crack a smile. She could never keep a straight face around the guy. She wondered endlessly why people disliked and mocked him. 

“You know what they say, opposites attract,” he smirked and looked down from his height at her with a familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. 

If Arisu had been drinking something, she was sure she would have spit it out. Instead she made a strangled noise of surprise, face flushing profusely.

“Awe, I’m just kidding around, Frigid-chan,” he soothed, before leaning closer to her to whisper, “We all know you’re in love with Wakatoshi-kun.”

“You-!” Arisu was about to give the cocky middle-blocker a thrashing when Ushijima sat at his desk.

“Are you aggravating our seatmate, Tendou?” he fixed Tendou with his steady gaze. 

“Not at all, Wakatoshi-kun. I am only stating the truth,” his crimson eyes slid back to give Arisu a sly look.

“Here, I brought you coffee,” Ushijima handed the canned coffee to him, effectively distracting the guess monster. He was both an incredibly simple and incredibly complex creature.

He turned to Arisu, giving her something other than his steady gaze, “and you strawberry milk.”

“You spoil me, Wakatoshi-kun. Thank you!” Arisu chuckled to hide her nervousness and accepted the offer. As expected, he only nodded in return. Arisu sipped her milk and turned to face forward, catching Tendou giving her the same sly glare from over his shoulder. Arisu huffed and took out her supplies. It was difficult enough to deal with her own thoughts on the matter, much less Tendou’s teasing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy :)

Much to Arisu’s annoyance, the day passed with no other eventful situations. She sat in her last class of the day, slowly packing up her things. Since it was Friday, Arisu was sure there was some type of shenanigans going on during the weekend for the majority that did not return home. She herself avoided such situations as much as Eiko would let her. The woman loved to go to parties to dance and ‘live a little’ as she always says. Arisu would go occasionally, but Eiko had other friends and her boyfriend to accompany her the majority of the time. As she placed her pencil case into her bag, she looked up to see Ushijima enter the empty classroom. She halted all movement until he spoke, it was after he did that she realized not greeting him was kinda rude. 

“Would you like to come and watch our game this Saturday?” he asked. Was he standing more rigidly than normal?

“I-I would love to,” she flushed. 

He nodded, “Good. Eiko said you were not doing anything.”

“Did she now,” Arisu grumbled and made a mental note to tell her friend to get out of her love life. 

“You do not have to come,” he said steadily, seemingly a little faster than normal.

“Oh, Wakatoshi, I’m not mad at you. Eiko just likes to butt into my life,” Arisu stood, her long hair falling over her shoulder as she reached down to heave her bag up letting out a little grunt at the weight of it. Ushijima couldn’t fight the thought that she looked like a goddess in the afternoon sun with her hair down and eyes shining. 

When she stood, she noticed the pink on Ushijima’s ears and cheeks again. She furrowed her brows in slight confusion. 

“I can carry that for you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to-!” Arisu tried to wave him off politely.

“But I will,” he said as he took the bag from her shoulder and threw it over his own, turning to leave. Once more, Arisu could not argue. Not that she wanted to. 

“Wakatoshi, my dorm is that way,” she walked after him, confused. 

“Eiko is watching practice,” he replied simply.

It sounded more like he wanted her to come watch practice than Eiko invited her to, but Arisu was not about to complain about it, “As long as it’s okay with the coach.”

He hummed in agreement and their walk returned to content silence. Ushijima had been haunted by thoughts of Arisu since the first day he saw her. He had not understood what he felt until the day he witnessed her being asked about Eiko for the first time. An anger seized him and he remembered wanting to step in, but having no reason to. He realized he had feelings for this girl he didn’t know and decided to change that. He was happy when she responded positively to his friendship instead of being put off by his lack of emotion. She showed genuine interest in getting to know who he was and he tried to return the sentiment whenever he could. Ushijima just couldn’t remember a time when a girl affected him as such. Sure, he had thought girls were pretty before -and had certainly been told he was handsome enough times by them- but hadn’t ever really been concerned. Arisu was more than just pretty. She was beautiful, intelligent, caring, and-

“Wakatoshi! You walk too fast,” she huffed as she nearly jogged to keep up with him. 

“Oh, sorry,” he looked sheepish as he slowed his pace. 

“As much as I enjoy staring at your back it would be better to walk beside you,” the words slipped out of her before her filter had time to process them and she turned red. He seemed surprised by her words, but let a little smirk grow on his face before continuing to walk.

“Hey! You cheeky bastard,” Arisu said with a smile creeping across her features. Ushijima found he enjoyed making her smile. 

They reached the gym with no more embarrassing incidents, which Arisu was thankful for. But as they walked in at the same time, Arisu’s bag over Ushijima’s shoulders, she knew there would be trouble. Especially when Eiko ran over to her with a starry look in her eyes. 

“Hey, Arisu. Ushijima,” she gushed, hands over her cheeks as she grinned.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Eiko. Where are you sitting?”

“Oh! I’m going to be over here,” she waved Arisu after her. 

Arisu turned to Ushijima and he handed her bag back with a look on his face that she could not fathom completely, it almost looked as if he didn’t want to hand it over. As she turned to follow her friend, she missed the looks the whole team sent Ushijima who offered no reaction. Eiko was Semi’s girlfriend and came to watch practice and here this girl was, arriving with their captain, him holding her bag, and her going to sit with the setter’s girlfriend. Even Goshiki put two and two together. Tendou was the only one who dared to tease Ushijima about it. 

“Arisu! You work so quickly!” Eiko clapped with a knowing smirk. 

“Oh no, Eiko. Do not give me that look,” Arisu frowned at her friend. 

Eiko looked appalled, “What? You mean to say that you didn’t have-”

“NOPE.” Arisu practically yelled, her face red and hand swatting at the other girl. 

“But I thought for sure since you snuck out last night you sneaky,” Eiko’s devilish smirk returned. 

“NOTHING happened, Eiko. Please stop,” Arisu covered her cheeks, eyes wide. 

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. You know he has a body underneath that uniform, hon,” Eiko raised a brow and put a hand on her hip, her other hand gesturing lazily as though everything were obvious. 

Arisu sat down to open her textbook, sighing, “Of course I have.”

“HA!” Eiko pointed an accusatory finger at her, before grabbing her by the front of her sweater desperately, “Jump his bones, Arisu. Do it. You need to claim him so all of the others will know he’s yours!”

Arisu did not appreciate the urgent shaking she was receiving, but it was Eiko, so she tried to let it go, “Eiko! Stop, you sound like a crazy person! What are you? My animal instincts, geez.”

“I am simply encouraging you to snatch that man before someone else does,” she quickly reached out and grasped the air in a fist, “It's the law of the jungle my sweet, sweet Arisu. How do you think I got Eita-”

“Oh my GOD I did not need to hear that!” Arisu exclaimed, covering her ears and screwing her eyes shut to try and dispel the thought. 

“I didn’t mean like that! I meant that I seized my opportunity and showed him I was interested,” Eiko reasoned, suddenly level headed.

“If I remember correctly, you made googly eyes at him whenever you could and spent every waking hour texting him.”

“You make me sound so desperate,” Eiko cringed, “Besides, he always texted me back.”

She turned to look at Semi with a fond smile and for once Arisu did not feel the annoyance rise in her. Instead, she looked over to where Ushijima practiced his serving, her eyebrows furrowed. 

She sighed and deflated in her seat, “But why would he want to be with me?”

“Arisu,” Eiko scolded gently, sitting down beside her to wrap an arm around her, “Just because everyone says you are cold hearted doesn’t mean that you are. You just can’t see how truly beautiful you are when you are completely yourself. I know you act so cold to those guys for my sake. I want you to be happy.”

“I know, thank you,” Arisu wrapped her own arm around her friend resting her head on the taller girl’s shoulder for a moment. 

“Now! Back to how to get Ushijima to be yours,” Eiko clenched her fists determinedly. 

“Well, he asked me to come to his game this Saturday.”

“So that’s why he asked me if you were doing anything with me this weekend,” Eiko smirked.

“Wait. He asked you? He said you told him I was free?” Arisu leaned away from Eiko to look at her in utter surprise. 

“Oh ho ho, so it looks like our Mr.Man may claim you first,” Eiko chuckled deviantly. 

“Why do you have to phrase it like that?”

The rest of practice passed in relative silence, both girls looking up from their work every once and awhile when one of the boys yelled or someone fell. Arisu found the background noise helpful with her concentration, once she was able to get over sneaking glances at their captain, that is. The team began to clean the gym and Eiko rushed over to Semi, practically jumping on him, as soon as he exited the locker room. They smiled at one another. Arisu shook her head at the display, Eiko sure knew how to crack someone's exterior. She looked down to focus on stuffing her bag, wondering if someone would ever look so softly at her, her brows drawn together unconsciously. 

“What are you thinking about?” Ushijima asked, his head slightly tilted to the side. 

“Oh, n-nothing important. Just the weekend,” Arisu chuckled, holding the strap of her bag. She tried to heft it up and got it half way to her shoulder before a warm hand encircled her own. She looked in surprise over to the ace, his eyes displaying an emotion that Arisu did not understand, but made her stomach do a flip. 

“Here, let me,” he took the bag from her far more gently than she thought he would be capable of, given his overwhelming strength. He still threw it over his shoulder like it was nothing and Arisu felt both impressed and annoyed that he made it look so easy. 

“Thank you,” she said, still wide eyed. They began to walk side by side out of the gym and towards the girl’s dorms, “You said the other day that you ‘know me’ Wakatoshi, but I feel like I don’t really know you.”

“What do you want to know?” he side eyed her, ears red. 

Arisu blinked at him, she didn’t think it would be that easy. She tried to think of a provocative question and came up with, “Where do you want your life to go?”

He grunted, answering almost immediately, “I want to go to college and play volleyball. Then I want to become a professional player.”

Arisu’s tone grew soft, “Is that what you want or is that just what everyone thinks you will do?”

He grew silent and Arisu quickly flushed, “I’m sorry, I overstepped-!”

“I don’t know.”

“What?” she halted in her rant. 

“I don’t know if that is what is expected of me or if they are my true intentions,” he stated, face almost too blank and not looking at her, suddenly very interested in the space before the both of them. 

“Well, I could see you becoming a physical therapist or something like that. Or a psychologist. You are very good at listening and keeping a level head when making decisions instead of letting emotions overcome you,” Arisu contemplated the image of Ushijima being a therapist, she could see it, but wondered how his straight to the point attitude would affect it. 

“Therapist?” he let out a small smile, seeming to be laughing at the thought. 

“Hey! I would go to you if you were,” she exclaimed, giving his arm a playful punch, “you big dummy.”

She didn’t notice how deeply he flushed at her comfort around him, “What about you?”

“Me? I guess I would like to go into marketing and it would be a dream come true to study or work abroad,” Arisu’s eyes shined at the thought of living in a completely different place with a strange culture. 

He nodded, “That would be interesting.”

“Let’s go somewhere together then!” Arisu chuckled brightly, her smile wide. 

Ushijima was pretty sure he would go with her anywhere, if she asked him to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another one ;))

Saturday afternoon came quickly and Arisu was standing in front of her closet, trying desperately to figure out what to wear. She wanted to look nice, but casual and also like she hadn’t really tried too hard. She decided on a white skirt and a purple sweatshirt underneath her sister’s old white VBC jersey. Arisu looked at the number one on her chest and felt her chest tighten, she remembered how hopeful her sister, Himari, had been when Arisu told her she was going to Shiratorizawa. Himari had such high hopes for Arisu’s volleyball career; she wanted the younger to follow in her footsteps and become the ace and captain; fearlessly leading them to nationals. She hated disappointing Himari. Arisu decided that she had thought far too much about her appearance for one day and headed to meet with Eiko, trying to shake the weight that the number carried off of her shoulders. It had been a while since Arisu went to go see a team play. The last time she could recall was when Himari and the club went to nationals. 

Eiko yanked Arisu towards the gym, “We’re going to be late because of you-hey! You look cute!” 

“Oh, thanks,” Arisu looked at the ground. 

“You will definitely snatch someone’s attention. Even if it isn’t Ushijima-kun,” she wiggled her eyebrows, “I’ll let you know if I see any worthy admirers.”

“O-okay.”

“And you gotta gain a little confidence, Arisu! I know you have it, you just haven’t applied it,” Eiko made a fist and spoke with such certainty, Arisu nearly believed her. 

As much as Eiko complained about being late, the two were some of the first there. Apparently, being late meant she missed being able to see Semi before warmups. Arisu rolled her eyes and Eiko waved enthusiastically at the setter, who waved back. They were able to get front row seats, students slowly filling in behind them. Arisu’s eyes drifted over the team’s movements, leaning on the railing before her. 

“Oh! You’ve caught your first victim!” Eiko said enthusiastically.

“What? Who?” Arisu sent her friend a confused glance. 

“Ohhhh, he looks like a college student,” she purred, “and he looks like he’s scouting. He must be a captain then, right? He’s sitting right across from us and he is gorgeous.”

“Please stop using that weird sexual tone,” Arisu glared, glancing over to where she said the guy was sitting. He had blonde hair and was both tall and muscular. He was indeed looking in their direction. Arisu flushed before huffing, “How do we even know he’s looking at me?”

“Well, he was. Now he’s smirking,” Eiko let out her own smile.

“He’s probably looking at you,” Arisu gave the girl an exhausted look. 

“Oh please, I have a sixth sense about these things,” she leaned back in her seat, arms crossed behind her head.

“Sure you do.”

“Wait! Are you wearing one of Ujishima’s uniforms?!”

Arisu blushed profusely, “This was my sister’s jersey, you thirsty.”

Eiko smirked devilishly, laughing maniacally, “It doesn’t really look like a Shiratorizawa uniform, maybe Ujishima will get jealous!”

“Do you have a life of your own?” Arisu sighed. 

“No, sweet Arisu, you are my life now. I will find you a boyfriend if it is the last thing I do. Don’t act like you don’t want to fall into Ushijima’s arms at every turn; I know you too well for that.”

Shiratorizawa won the match. Arisu was sure she lost some of her hearing from how loudly Eiko screamed when Semi came in to serve. Her dedication to supporting him was unparalleled. The intensity of the match had swept Arisu up like a great wind and, even now after the game had ended, she felt the high. Eiko stood beside her in a buzzing excitement, waiting for Semi. She launched at him as soon as she caught a glimpse of his figure, leaving her friend in her wake. 

“Is Frigid-chan feeling jealous?” Tendou slid up next to her and bent over to throw an arm around her shoulders, mock surprise etching his features.

“It is far better to feel nothing at all than to feel too much, Fire-kun,” Arisu shrugged, smiling dangerously. 

“Ushijima could make you feel something, he already has,” he smirked and gave her shoulders a squeeze, using his right hand to turn her head in the captain’s direction. 

“You could feel my foot up your ass,” Arisu smiled sweetly.

“So cold, Frigid-chan,” Tendou shivered with a chuckle, “reminds me of someone.”

“Are you bothering Arisu again?” Ushijima asked in all his sweaty glory. Despite his appearance, his chest rose and fell evenly, as though the match had been a warmup. Airsu’s eyes shined at the sight, face turning pink. 

Tendou noticed, “Not at all, Waka! I’m going to hit the showers and leave you two kids to it!”

“Hey! Don’t you think this is over!” Arisu shook her fist after him and he waved her off as he went, both of them laughing. 

“Did you enjoy the game?” Ushijima recalled her attention, did he seem nervous?

“I always enjoy watching you play!” she blurted before slapping a hand over her mouth, “A-And the team! The team is great!”

That tiny little cocky smirk returned to his face and he crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t buying it. She huffed and felt her face ignite into flames. His breath caught in his throat audibly and she turned to look at him again, curious. He was looking at her chest, but she was pretty sure it was at the number on the front of her jersey. 

“Who's jersey is that?” he asked slower than usual. He didn’t know whether the thought of it being his own or some other male’s made him more anxious. The mental image of her wearing one of his jerseys to a game stirred something within him. Everyone would know that she was his and he was hers. He suddenly wished it was his. He felt goosebumps climb up the back of his neck. 

“I snuck into your dorm and stole one,” Arisu shrugged. 

Ushijima looked visibly shocked and he stood stock still. Arisu could not hold back her laughter any longer. Needless to say, Ushijima was not very amused. 

“Why is this funny?” 

He did enjoy the sound of her laughter though. Arisu nearly doubled over, reaching for the captain for support. As soon as her hand connected with his solid bicep, her laughter died. She stared wide eyed at the floor for a moment before righting herself and chuckling lightly. When she looked up to him, he wore that damn smirk again. 

“Oh who’s laughing now?” she accused with a smile, “Tendou must have been rubbing off on you, you’re such a cheeky bastard.”

He let out a hum of agreement, “Do you want me to walk you back?”

He was asking? Arisu, though confused, decided to take Eiko’s pep talk to heart and muster a bit of confidence, she gave him a soft smile, “I would like that very much.”

She could have sworn that he made a choked noise, but he nodded and headed off to the locker room. She watched him go before tearing her eyes away. No one needed to know how much she enjoyed staring at his thighs and ass. She smacked a hand to her forehead, face red as a tomato and proceeded to berate herself mentally for ogling. She decided some fresh air would do her good and went to sit on the grass outside of the gym. She played on her phone as most of the remaining spectators and other players left. She kept an eye on the door and stood up when she saw Ushijima come out and look around for her. 

“Ready?” she asked as she jogged over. He nodded. 

“Thanks for walking me back all the time, it's nice to have company.”

“I noticed Semi and Eiko disappeared,” he gave her a knowing look. 

“Ew, gross! I don’t wanna know where they went,” Arisu tried to shake the implications out of her mind, nearly gagging. She noticed Ushijima crinkle his nose and draw his eyebrows together and it was probably the cutest expression she had seen on him yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Arisu had the misfortune of being on the first level of her dormitory complex. While there were some perks, such as not having to take the elevator or stairs, she did not like how her window was on ground level. There was a walking path a few yards from her window and she did not appreciate how loud people could be. She also didn’t like the fact that Tendou knew exactly which window was her’s. He left notes on the window all the time, even though he had her phone number. She almost never actually saw him leaving them, which kinda freaked her out. 

But as she sat at her desk finishing up her homework on a beautiful Sunday evening, she really didn’t appreciate that he climbed in through her window. She had left it open to allow the cool breeze and chirp of crickets in.

“Tendou?! What the-!”

“OH! Hello Frigid-chan, fancy meeting you here.”

“In my dorm?!” Arisu whisper-yelled. She did not want to get caught with a boy in her dorm. 

“Calm down, Waka-kun is here too,” Tendou reasoned, opening her shade more. Sure enough, there stood Ushijima. 

“I did not agree to this,” he said to Arisu evenly, sounding tired of Tendou’s antics. 

“I know you didn’t,” she reassured him softly.

“Yet you still came with,” Tendou smirked, “Climb on in!”

“What-why?! Why are you here?!” Arisu just wanted answers. 

“Well, Waka and I were bored!” Tendou threw his arms out grandly, Ushijima still standing in the window, looking like he walked into a drive through. It all was very comical, but Arisu was too busy freaking out about getting caught by the RA who resided a door down to laugh. 

“You said we were going for a walk.”

“Besides,” Tendou wiggled his eyebrows, ignoring Ushijima, “Guys sneak into girl’s and girls sneak into guy’s dorms all the time.”

“Really?” Ushijima seemed annoyed.

“Yes, Waka-kun to have se-” Tendou started as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“OKAY!” Arisu interrupted, out of pure instinct. That was when she heard a door open down the hall. True panic set in and she launched at the window, “Ushijima get in here now!” 

Tendou laughed jovially, ignoring her panic, “You are so eager to get him into your room-”

“Shut up! Help me get him through the window!” she whisper-yelled frantically, putting on her commanding tone, “The RA lives just down the hall you dumbass so unless you want me to get expelled you better help me get his ass through this window!”

“Oh shit,” Tendou paled and reached for Ushijima’s arm quickly. Ushijima probably could have hefted himself up and through the window easily, but the panic was so overwhelming that the two yanked at him anywhere they could to hurry him up. When he finally got into the room, Arisu heard a knock at the door. She gripped both by their shirts tightly, shoving Ushijima under the bed and Tendou under the desk. She was sure she was going to have a heart attack and beat Tendou to death with his own lanky arm.

“Just a second!” Arisu called sweetly before looking at both boys with such a threatening menace they curled into their hiding spots, though she knew Ushijima would behave. 

She opened the door with a flushed face, she smiled, “Oh! What’s up Koniko?”

“I thought I could hear a ruckus down this way, are you alright?” the RA asked, her arms crossed, trying to read whether the girl was lying.

“Yeah, just doing some homework,” Arisu put on a confused look before leaning forward slightly to whisper, “It might be those girls in 122, you know they got scolded for noise a lot last year.”

“Ugh, you’re probably right,” Koniko glared before fixing Arisu with an appreciative look, “thanks, Arisu.”

“Oh yeah, but you didn’t hear it from me,” she chuckled before waving at Koniko as she left. Arisu slowly closed her door, waiting a minute before turning around and striding over to her desk, yanking Tendou out by the front of his shirt.

“You-you-you-!” she tried to yell at him but fell into a silence. He shrunk away from her intense anger, waiting for the blows. A quiet chuckle rose from Arisu, gradually growing into full blown laughter. Tendou nervously chuckled, still in her grasp as Ushijima got out from under the bed. 

“This was a bad idea,” he deadpanned, brushing his clothes of dust, fixing Tendou with a glare.

Arisu continued to chuckle and patted Ushijima on the arm, “It’s alright, I guess. Like Eiko is so fond of saying: you’ve gotta live a little. But you still owe me strawberry milk for the next two months, Fire-kun.”

“The punishment fits the crime,” Tendou nodded in agreement shaking her hand, “What about Stoic-kun?”

“I wholeheartedly believe you dragged him into this scenario without his knowledge,” Arisu sassed, “But since you guys are here, you can hang out. As long as you don’t make too much noise.”

Tendou perked up instantly, jumping onto the bottom bunk bed, laying on his stomach, legs bent at the knee and rocking back and forth with his head propped up by his arms. Arisu turned to her closet, opening it. The two boys looked at her curiously as she moved a basket of clothes to reveal a mini-fridge. 

Tendou gasped, “So you aren’t as well behaved as I thought!”

Arisu chuckled, “My roommate, Mai, and I agreed it would be nice to keep drinks and snacks here. There is an outlet in the closet so it worked out great. Mai’s super cool.”

“Not as cool as me though, right?” Tendou pouted.

“You two would get along great, Tendou. I was actually going to try and set you up with her. You’re the same type of chaotic.”

“Really?!” Tendou jumped up to wrap his arms around Arisu, lifting her up because of their height difference, “You are so kind, Frigid-chan!”

Arisu chuckled and hugged him back before he set her down. She retrieved some snack bags and drinks, tossing them to both of the boys before pulling out her signature strawberry milk. She sat at the end of the bed and Ushijima took her desk chair. 

“We should come over more often, Waka!” Tendou leapt back onto the bed to feast. 

“Only if it’s alright with Arisu,” Ushijima looked to her for confirmation.

“I didn’t think you would agree,” Tendou narrowed his eyes and sent Ushijima a knowing smirk, which the latter ignored. 

“Yeah sure, just let me know please. I’d have to ask Mai, but she’s helped Eiko sneak to see Semi, so,” Arisu shrugged.

“Ohhh, saucy,” Tendou chuckled, smirk deepening. 

“More like, I know too much about their relationship,” Arisu made a disgusted face with   
Ushijima. 

“I do not want to know,” Ushijima continued to eat his snack. 

“I absolutely need to know!” Tendou’s eyes widened with intense curiosity, begging, “Please! Does Eiko complain about him? Does he have weird quirks we don’t know about? Does he wear hello katy underwear?”

Arisu cringed, her face flushed deeply. She knew Eiko would kill her if she revealed too much, but if she revealed something that seemed scandalous but it was something that she was pretty sure the two boys already knew it shouldn’t be that bad. Right?

“More along the lines of, uh…” Arisu held her breath before she took the plunge, “..size.”

Tendou’s mouth dropped open in pure whiplash. Ushijima looked between the two, confusion on his face. 

“What?!” Tendou freaked.

“I know! I never wanted to know anything related to that!” Arisu hid her face behind her hands.

“Wait! What did she say?” Tendou asked in rapt attention.

Arisu balked, “What?! Why do you need to know you pervert! Besides, don’t you guys all see each other...in the locker room…” 

Tendou rolled his eyes, before grinning devilishly, “Of course there is nudity, but I want to know what Eiko said so I can use it against Semi Semi.”

“What are you talking about?” Ushijima chimed in, still confused and still eating his snack, blissfully unaware of the lewdness of their conversation. Arisu turned even more red, which she thought was not possible considering how much blood currently resided in her cheeks, ears, and neck 

“My innocent Wakatoshi,” Tendou said sweetly, “Eiko has made hints as to the size of Semi’s...goods to Arisu. And I am requesting further details for blackmail purposes.”

Realization seemed to have dawned on Ushijima and his face flushed, but his expression remained even. He spoke carefully, “Tendou you’ve seen-”

“Oh my! Just look at the time!” Arisu frantically looked down to her wrist, where no watch existed, “You should leave!”

“Arisu,” Tendou placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, “You’ve begun this and now you must end it. I respect Wakatoshi not wanting to hear, so, whisper it to me.”

Arisu looked up at Tendou, her blush gone and a threat in her eyes.

“Oh Fire-kun,” she placed her own hand on his shoulder with a death grip as her expression remained the same, “I am a wealth of blackmail, but you shall never know what I do.”

“Arisu, you’re hurting me,” Fear laced Tendou’s tone and he struggled to get out of her grip.

“Serves you right,” Ushijima said, completely even. Arisu and him shared a smirk as she released Tendou. 

“How can you be so mean,” Tendou pouted, rubbing his shoulder where Arisu’s hand had been and pointed an accusatory finger at her, “She maimed me!”

Ushijima and Arisu shared a good laugh at Tendou’s expense. 

An hour or so of conversation later, night had fallen and the two guys climbed out the way they came in. Arisu would not admit it to Tendou, but she was glad that she did not have to spend the evening alone. Ushijima shot Tendou a look and the redhead winked knowingly before sauntering off into the night. Ushijima stood outside of her window as she rested her elbows on the sill, leaning out a bit to see him off. 

“Don’t tell Tendou, but I had fun,” Arisu swallowed, “Just you and I should go for a walk sometime, where we can follow the rules.”

She sent him a fond smile and she was surprised to find him returning the look, “I would like that very much.”

She blushed at the use of her words a week previous, “Goodnight, Wakatoshi.”

Arisu had the overwhelming desire to embrace him through the window, but resisted. 

He nodded, “Sleep well, Arisu.”

Her smile grew and he turned to leave. She watched him return to the path and head in the direction of his dorm. Just like a girl in a romantic movie, she sighed dreamily and placed her head atop her hand until she could no longer see his form. Then she turned to the starry night sky, feeling foolish as she wished upon one of them.


	5. Chapter 5

“Arisu Arisu Arisu!” Tendou hopped over to where the girl walked. She stopped in her tracks when she heard his distinct voice and turned to face him.

“I don’t like that look on your face. What have you done?” Arisu narrowed her eyes. 

Tendou chuckled darkly before whipping his bag around to dig in it. He pulled out a crumpled piece of clothing. He was hunched over and tried to shove it into her arms with little grunts, looking more like a goblin than a third year. 

“What is this?” Arisu cocked her head to the side, about to unfold it. 

“NO! Do not open it here,” he whipped his head back and forth suspiciously, voice lowering to a whisper, “I have risked much to bring this gift to you.”

“You are so dramatic,” Arisu couldn’t help but smile, “but tell me what it is.”

“I have stolen one of Wakatoshi’s uniforms,” his grin was devilish, “I saw the one you were wearing to the last game, Frigid-chan.”

“That was my sister’s!” Arisu exclaimed, face red. 

“Oh, well, now you can show up and surprise old Waka. I’m sure he would jump you if he saw-”

“Do you always say too much?!” Arisu cut him off, mortified. 

“Why try and hide the truth,” he chuckled, “You can thank me later!”

He sprinted away before Arisu could shove it back into his arms. She stood there staring at the spot where Tendou had been in shock. Anger overcame her and she threw it into her packed bag, grumbling as she completed her walk to her dorm room. 

“Oh, hey, Ari-chan!” Mai greeted cheerfully from her desk. 

“Hey,” Arisu growled, throwing the jersey onto her bed, flinging her bag off, and thrusting her hands into her hair. 

It was two days later on a Saturday night. Arisu sat on her bunk reading, when there was rattling from her shade. She looked over and was almost not surprised to see Tendou already half in her room. 

“You!” he pointed at her angrily as he hung on his stomach there, “How did you get into our room!?”

Arisu smirked, “I have my sources. You sneak into my room all the time!” 

“But that’s when you’re here and you’re on the first floor!” he huffed as he got his long legs over the sill, “Why do you keep destroying my plan? I am trying to set you up here!”

“I thought you were just trying to put me in embarrassing situations for your own entertainment,” she said emotionlessly. 

“That may have been a part of it too, but I genuinely think you and Ushijima would make a great couple!”

“Tendou, I highly doubt he has any interest in me,” Arisu said going back to her reading.

“Hey now,” his eyebrows drew together and he frowned, “what’s this attitude? You’re amazing.”

Arisu chuckled mirthlessly, “Sure, Tendou.”

“I mean it! Wakatoshi sees it too.”

The uncharacteristic seriousness in his voice caused her to look over at him. There seemed to be a vulnerable understanding in his posture and gaze. Arisu never thought Tendou to be insecure, he always seemed so confident. 

“He’s the golden boy. How would I deserve-”

“He’s a dork,” Tendou deadpanned, “and he’s just a guy, who isn’t great at expressing his emotions, but cares a lot.”

Arisu sighed, “You and Mai are probably right. I should just tell him, so I can deal with the consequences and move on.” 

He glared at her, exasperated, “I’m telling you he feels the same. You two are so daft.”

She looked over at him shocked, but he was already climbing out of the window, “What?!”

“You heard me!” he called from outside, his voice growing farther away. 

Arisu sat in her bed, her book forgotten, arms laying limply in her lap, and disbelief written all over her face.

“What’s got your undies in a bunch?” Mai chuckled.

“Tendou stole one of Wakatoshi’s jerseys, threw it at me, and ran away!” Arisu said, distress clear on her features. 

Mai laughed heartily, hitting her knee, “That guy is so funny.”

“Help. Me!” 

“I’m sorry, but you need to confront your undying love for him,” she smirked, turning to put her headphones back in and continue with her work.

Arisu gripped Mai’s shirt tightly, eyes wide, “You’ve gotta help me get it back! You know which room is theirs right!? Help sneak me in so I can leave it there and no one will ever have to know!” 

“Ohhh, I can help you,” she grinned ferally, “but it’s gonna cost ya.”

Arisu nodded furiously, “I-I can get you coffee! Or that boy-band merch! Or set up a date with Tendou!”

Mai blushed furiously, growling, “You don't need to go that far! Just buy me snacks.”

“You need to confront your own feelings, Mai,” Arisu shook her head.

“I will! I just need a little more time to seduce him,” she wiggled her fingers and laughed maniacally. 

“I would feel bad for him if he wasn’t such a pain in my ass,” Arisu shrugged. 

“Hey! I would make a lovely girlfriend,” she yelled. 

“Can we get back to the immediate problem?” 

“Of course! So you want to sneak into their room when neither of them are there,” Mai looked to Arisu who nodded furiously.

“And then change out of your clothes-”

“What-?!”

“And lay all seductive like on his bunk in nothing but the jersey waiting for him so you can jump. His. Bones.” 

“NO-!”

Mai nodded as though they were having a philosophical discussion, “I have to say, I love this idea and nothing should be changed about it. I can lend you some candles from my collection to set the mood.”

“MAI NO,” Arisu was the reddest and most flustered Mai had seen her.

“What? It’s foolproof. No man could resist that! Hell, even I couldn’t resist that,” Mai looked thoughtful, before standing dramatically, “But now is not the time to question my sexuallity!”

“Uhh-”

Mai laughed, “Oh come now, sweet Arisu, I am only joking. I like dic-”

“Please stop!” Arisu yelped. 

“Fine, fine,” she pointed a finger at Arisu with a smug smirk, “I will sneak you in and sneak you out. They don’t call me the fox for nothing!”

“Who calls you that?” 

Mai shot her a glare, “Ushijima has been rubbing off on you! You’re so deadpan.”

“You mean your illegal side business?” Arisu raised a brow.

“Hey! It’s not illegal, just against school policy. I don’t deal drugs! I sneak people into dorms to see their stupid partners!”

“Whatever you say, Mai, but when you get busted I’m pretending I had no idea.”

“I expect nothing less! Besides, I haven’t been caught yet and it’s been two whole years.”

“You are very good at what you do, I’ll give you that,” Arisu shrugged, “but how exactly are you going to smuggle me in there?”

“It’s simple!”

“This is not what I thought it was going to be,” Arisu said a few hours later, as she scratched at her wig. She felt incredibly stupid dressed in what Mai deemed ‘manly’ sweatpants and a sweatshirt as well as her long hair stuffed into a short haired wig. She was pretty sure she looked nothing like a guy, but went with it since Mai was the mastermind.

“What? A little dress up never hurt anyone!” Mai said as she pulled out her male identification card to scan. Mai would not reveal who her key card dealer was and Arisu didn’t want to know. They both entered the elevator, their school bags on their shoulders. They went up to the fifth floor and Mai pulled out a set of keys. Arisu also did not want to know how she got the keys, but she suspected a third year RA was a coworker of hers. 

“How do you know they aren’t here?” Arisu whispered anxiously.

“Volleyball practice, duh, I am a professional you know,” Mai rolled her eyes as the door swung open. 

“I feel terrible,” Arisu gripped her chest where it hurt from breaking and entering into Ushijima and Tendou’s dorm. 

“You’ll get over it,” Mai pushed her into the room, “plant it and I’ll keep watch. Do it quickly.”

Arisu felt a whirlwind of emotions as she frantically looked around the room. She remembered Tendou saying he demanded the top bunk and felt a smirk overcome her. She folded the jersey neatly and placed it on Tendou’s pillow.

“Your move, Fire-kun,” she thought as she quickly scurried out. 

The two of them booked it as quickly as they could without looking suspicious. They jogged along the walking path that led to their window. They practically leapt in, Mai laughing crazily and Arisu sweating from nerves and the physical exercise. 

“I am never doing that again,” Arisu groaned as the stress left her body, collapsing onto the carpeted floor. 

“That was so fun!” Mai giggled, “Don’t speak too soon, Ari-chan. I may have to sneak you in there for other reasons in the future.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the thrilling fluff riddled conclusion ~!

“So it’s a plan, then!” Tendou folded his hands neatly two months later.

“What? But what do I do if he’s not into-” Arisu looked around wildly. 

“There is no plan B!” Mai yelled fist raised and teeth bared. 

Tendou and Mai high fived without looking away from Arisu and she simply stared back at them, eyes narrowed. The three of them sat in the girls’ dorm, Arisu at her desk and the other two on the bed. 

Arisu chuckled and leaned forwards onto her knees, fluttering her eyes, “When’s the wedding?”

Mai threw her arms around Tendou and gave him an adoring gaze, “Next year, but I can’t wait that long.”

They went in for a cheesy kiss and Arisu gave them a disgusted face, “I’ve been pining after Wakatoshi for months now and you guys got together more quickly than I.”

“That's because Waka is a brick,” Tendou said cheerfully.

“I am aware,” Arisu rolled her eyes, before exclaiming exasperatedly, “Why does he think I make him bentos and try to spend as much time with him as I can? To infiltrate the volleyball team?” 

“I doubt he thinks anything about it,” Mai said, “he simply doesn’t consider people’s intentions.”

“While you would normally be right,” Tendou waved his hands around in an airy fashion, “this is a matter of attraction.” 

He turned to Arisu with a serious expression, “I highly doubt he will reject you.”

“Stop being so supportive and serious. It's kinda freaking me out,” Arisu leaned slightly away from him as she chuckled. 

“Any friend of my girlfriends,” He sent Mai a smile, “is a friend of mine.”

“I was friends with you before Mai. I introduced you two,” Arisu said emotionlessly.

“Details, details,” he waved her off. 

“Tendou’s right,” Mai began with a soft smile, “Anyone who rejects you is blind and dumb my sweet Arisu. I mean look at you! You’re the whole package! Brains, looks, and an everlasting addiction to strawberry milk? What more could you want!”

“Thanks,” Arisu tried to put on a mad face, but ended up cracking a smile. She turned to look out the window at what she could see of the stars, remembering her childlike wish. 

The rest of that week was spent marinating in pure anticipation. Arisu had agreed with the ‘power couple’, as they liked to be called, that she would meet him after practice on Saturday and confess. Arisu felt more like she would be admitting to a crime than to carrying romantic feelings. She was far more on edge in every class and Tendou took advantage of it to jumpscare her at every opportunity, cackling maniacally every time. Ushijima had even noticed and asked her about it. She said that she was just worried about her grades when, in fact, that was the farthest thing from her mind. 

Eiko tried her damndest to keep Arisu distracted by taking her off campus any chance she got. And if she couldn’t do that, they studied, ate, or chatted together. It was difficult for Arisu to forget about the pressure because of the obvious giddiness Eiko projected about the whole situation. Eiko had said on more than one occasion that she was incredibly excited about it. Arisu always responded that she was happy someone was excited. 

“I just want you to be happy!” Eiko exclaimed her hands on her cheeks. 

“I know that Eiko, but it's so nerve wracking-”

“The fact that you’re getting so worked up is so cute!” she gushed. 

“I can’t get anywhere with you when you’re like this,” Arisu grumbled. Eiko also pointed out everything that Arisu did and said it was cute. Arisu understood that it was just EIko’s way of hyping her up to the emotionally difficult situation, but Eiko’s enthusiasm in and of itself was exhausting.

Five days passed so slowly and painfully that Arisu was grateful to have the dorm to herself that Friday night. The silence was welcome. She sat and hummed as she alternated between reading and doodling in her notebook mindlessly. The cool night air drifted across her skin as the wind rustled in the trees, she shivered but made no move to close the window. She occasionally heard people walk by laughing or talking, enjoying the night and for once she wasn’t bothered by it. She should have known that such peace would not remain untouched. 

“Arisu.”

“AH!” She jumped up and yelled, whipping her head to look at the window. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She was prepared to fight, her fists raised automatically. The light of her desk lamp illuminated the face of Ushijima. He practically glowed, looking like he was a star on earth. 

“Wakatoshi!” she growled out, placing a hand on her chest.

“Sorry,” he rubbed the back of his head and looked sheepish, his ears pink. 

“I will forgive you and only you, Wakatoshi. Now, what can I help you with?”

The sheepish attitude continued, much to Arisu’s confusion, and he actually looked nervous? She could not fathom why. Perhaps because it was the first time he had come to her dorm on his own and he was not one to break the rules. It was always weird seeing Ushijima nervous, he was most often purposeful and sure.

“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” he swallowed. 

Arisu stared at him in surprise. She answered automatically and instantly, “I would love to.”

Without hesitation, she grabbed her keys and hopped out the window, shutting it behind her. She was delighted and amazed to find him in track pants and a sweatshirt. He looked so tantalizingly casual when he was always so put together looking. It made her feral and she felt disappointment wash over her. She thought she had gained some semblance of control over her emotions, but she should have known that they were in control and she was just along for the ride. 

They began in silence, following the path towards the little park on campus. During the day it was filled with students sitting on blankets studying, snacking, and visiting in the sunshine. At night, it was completely deserted and quiet, the lack of trees offering a glorious view of the constellations above. Arisu hadn’t ever been there at night and gasped at the beauty, the tranquility seeping into her soul. She followed Ushijima’s lead unconsciously, her eyes fixed upwards. She missed the way he looked at her the same way she looked at the stars. 

When he stopped, she did. Arisu turned to look at him with such a bright and genuine smile. 

“This is wonderful, Toshi, I never thought to come here at night,” she gushed. 

“It reminded me of you,” he said gently as though some part of him was afraid she would leave if he spoke too loud. His cheeks were red at the admission and her use of his nickname.

She looked at him in an equally gentle confusion, falling into the moment, “How so?”

“It’s beautiful. Though some may think they are a cold light.”

Arisu was stunned into silence, such emotion swelling in her chest that it manifested in watery eyes. Hearing such a thing from Ushijima meant more than from any other because he would not lie. Though many thought his straightforwardness was a fault, it just made what he said all the more meaningful when it came to moments like that. He would never say something that he did not truly mean. 

He did not know how much those two sentences meant to her. He had said it with such warmth it dissipated every rumor that she was distant, unfeeling, and indifferent. She felt like none of that mattered if he knew the truth. 

Words could not convey her gratitude. Instead, she surged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. He raised his hands to her back and gently pushed her closer. Her hands fisted in his sweatshirt in response. After a minute, his hands slid up to either of her cheeks, raising her head to look up at him. Ushijima noticed how her wet cheeks and eyes glistened sliver in the faint light, her irises muted gold. His thumbs rubbed soft circles over her cheekbones, drying the wetness there. 

She could feel the light pull of her head as his own grew nearer and nearer. Stopping a breath away, he looked to her lips and back to her eyes, a question there. Arisu answered with a reverent smile. He laid a delicate kiss to her lips and her eyes slid slowly shut at the sensation. Her hands ran from his back to his chest and up to his neck, one playing with the short hair at his nape. His own hands wandered to her hip, rubbing them through her shirt before he crouched down even more and gently lifted her up to his height, their torsos flush and her legs off the ground. 

They broke apart to breathe and Arisu let out a light and quiet giggle as the realization hit.

“You ruined Tendou and Mai’s elaborate plan,” she smiled at him fondly. 

He gave her a light confused look, “What plan?”

“For me to confess my feelings to you. I was going to do it tomorrow actually,” she blushed deeply. 

He set her back on the ground, but did not release her. Neither one of them wanted to leave that moment to commit it to memory. Both wanted to stay there, experiencing the reality forever. 

“I am glad that Tendou had nothing to do with this,” he said with laughter in his eyes and that damned little smirk on his face. 

Arisu threw her head back and laughed, before pulling him down to peck his lips, “Me too.”

The two of them enjoyed the night, sitting in the soft grass together, purely enjoying each other's company and the change in their relationship. He gave her his hoodie since, in her haste, she had ventured out in her t-shirt alone. Arisu sat between his legs, leaning her back against his chest and loosely hugging the arms he wrapped around her shoulders, but when she began to nod off, he stood. 

“You need sleep,” the care in his tone was not lost on her. 

“I guess,” she yawned and stretched as she got back on her feet. The fond smile he sent her made her heart overflow and nearly burst. 

They walked hand in hand back along the path, breaking from it to near her window. She opened it quietly and peered in to see it was still vacant. Arisu hopped up onto the window sill and sat facing outwards towards Ushijima, her hands on either side of her legs. 

“Mai isn’t back yet,” she whispered with a chuckle and a cheeky grin, “she went on a date with Tendou. I don’t know if you want to go back to your dorm.”

He sent her a smirk, “Are you asking me to spend the night?”

“Only if you want to,” she hummed. 

“Get in,” he said as he neared the window and she spun around to land lightly on her feet within the room a giddy smile. Turning to face him when he stood behind her. He lay down behind her, pulling their bodies flush. His right arm hooked around to her front and she hugged it to her chest. She felt so protected and loved. He felt so accepted and whole. Either one gave exactly what the other needed.

Arisu woke up and felt warm and relaxed. She stretched and felt the weight of an arm on her hip. She shifted around to face Ushijima, unable to hold back her smile. He looked just as peaceful as she felt. 

“You ruined my plan!” Tendou yelled, peering through the glass of the window, eyes wide. 

“I’m happy for you!” Mai jumped up and down in front of the pane. 

Arisu was shocked, but it quickly turned into annoyance as she looked at them from over her shoulder. She grabbed the extra pillow from under her bed and threw it at the window before she turned back to Ushijima. She smiled once more and brushed his wild hair back from his forehead and could not resist placing a kiss there. He hummed, pulled from his half wakefulness by the feel of her lips. His yes found hers and, without a word, he reached both arms around her torso and rolled onto his back, holding her there. 

She chuckled, using her elbows to prop herself up, brushing his hair away again, “Mai and Tendou are here, I don’t want to know how long they watched us sleep from the window.”

Ushijima mustered a glare that could cause hell to freeze over and turned his head to look directly at them from his spot. They yelped and disappeared to the right side of the window. 

Arisu sighed before laying a kiss against his lips and grudgingly standing up. She went over to the window and slid it open, her forearm resting casually against the sill.

“Is there something that I can help you with?” she blinked a tiny smirk creeping onto her face. 

“Can I come into our dorm? I want to shower and change,” Mai said, a smile still on her face. 

Arisu noticed she was wearing some of Tendou’s clothes and she sent her a blank look, “You didn’t shower with Tendou?”

Just then, faint screaming was heard approaching from a distance. They turned their heads to see Eiko sprinting towards the group, her arms wide, tears streaming down her face, and Semi racing after her. 

“You texted Eiko?” Arisu looked to Mai.

“What?! She deserves to know!” 

“Mai told me about the plan! But this is even better!” Eiko wept as she grabbed and held Arisu’s face in her hands like a proud mother. 

“I didn’t know you were that fast,” Semi panted behind Eiko. 

“Hey!” Tendou said indignantly at the insult to his idea, Mai patted him on the back.

Arisu smiled widely, a loving look in her eyes, the silver glow of the stars still reflecting in them, “I was going to text you this morning.”

“But I wanted to witness it for myself,” she yanked Arisu down for a hug. 

“This is why we ran all the way over here?” Semi righted himself, “I thought someone was dying.”

“This is important, Eita! Ushijima and Arisu are together!” she squealed and bounced over to embrace her own boyfriend. He took her enthusiasm in stride, like always, and sent her a smile, like always. 

The man in question appeared behind Arisu, looking annoyed and still half asleep. Wordlessly he gently removed Arisu from the open window, closed it, locked it, and then pulled the shade shut. 

He pulled her back onto his chest and kissed the top of her head, “They’re annoying.”


End file.
